samizdat
noun
sa·miz·dat
ˈsä-mēz-ˌdät 
: a system in the Soviet Union and countries within its orbit by which government-suppressed literature was clandestinely printed and distributed
also
: such literature
Examples of samizdat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Agents later discovered a samizdat archive of Mamleev’s writings at the home of Dugin’s parents.
—
James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
An apocalyptic adventure story teeming with rock and rollers, samizdat books, worker rebellions, and underground societies, the novel envisions this land and its future not as utopian or dystopian, necessarily, but rather as a site of branching possibilities.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025
The most famous example of samizdat was Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago, which David Lean eventually filmed in 1965.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Feb. 2024
In 1999, he was awarded the Andrei Bely Prize, the oldest Russian independent literary prize, celebrating samizdat writers and poets who worked outside Soviet censorship.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for samizdat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
An apocalyptic adventure story teeming with rock and rollers, samizdat books, worker rebellions, and underground societies, the novel envisions this land and its future not as utopian or dystopian, necessarily, but rather as a site of branching possibilities.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025
The most famous example of samizdat was Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago, which David Lean eventually filmed in 1965.
—Armond White, National Review, 14 Feb. 2024
In 1999, he was awarded the Andrei Bely Prize, the oldest Russian independent literary prize, celebrating samizdat writers and poets who worked outside Soviet censorship.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for samizdat
Cite this Entry
“Samizdat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/samizdat. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share